Scotch & Martini's
by Sunsetwing
Summary: This was my contribution to Breath-of-twilight's Countdown to Valentine's Day 2012. Bella's not a big fan of Valentine's Day, but will an older man change that? Now full story.
1. Chapter 1

**This was my contribution to Breath-of-twilight's** **Countdown to Valentine's Day 2012- Risqué VDay!**

**Pairing – Edward & Bella**

**Category 4- What inspired these sexy times?  
>Two parts vodka, one part lime.<strong>

**Scotch & Martini's**

A/N: Thank you to Breath-of-twilight for inviting me to participate once again. I hope you all enjoy this little smutty one shot. Enjoy!

**UPDATED A/N: Now extending to full story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephanie Meyer is a goddess and she owns everything. No copyright infringement intended.**

"I hate Valentine's Day. Seriously, it's just society's way for a man to try and make up for being an ass the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year!"

"Bella…"

"No, Alice, I'm sorry. I mean every man except for Jasper." I smirk at my best friend.

Alice and I have been friends since high school, and we both have known Jasper just as long. He's one of the very few decent men we know. Alice snapped him up a week after he moved to our little town, and they've been inseparable ever since. Even our move to the big city and college couldn't keep them apart.

"Speaking of my dear, sweet husband, I have to go. No matter how much I would absolutely love to sit here with you and get drunk, I have a Valentine's date with a very naked husband to get home to."

"Fine, fine, I see how you are."

"I'll call and check on you tomorrow. Make sure you didn't drink yourself to death," she says as she walks out, waving to me over her shoulder.

I turn back around to the bar, cocktail in hand, ready to drink this evening away. I'm not always so cynical, but after catching my third boyfriend in a row sleeping with someone else, I am officially done.

Boyfriend number one slept with one of my girlfriend's. Needles to say, bitch isn't my friend anymore.

Boyfriend number two slept with my mail man… on my couch! Yeah, that shit stung a little.

Boyfriend number three was sleeping with my boss. That one didn't really surprise me. I mean, aside from me, who wasn't sleeping with my boss?

Fuck my life.

And if it isn't bad enough that I can't seem to keep a man, I'm apparently not going to keep my job either. There has to be some kind of law for getting fired because you slapped the home wrecking bitch that stole your man, but what do I know? It isn't like I'm not a college graduate with a degree who knows better, right?

I sit here looking at myself in the mirror over the bar. I'm attractive enough, and I certainly have a good body. I'm thin and toned, but still manage to maintain some curves. I don't have any bad habits that I can think of off the top of my head. So, the question that I'm going to be pondering for the rest of the night is, _what in the hell was wrong with me?_

After my fourth martini, I'm definitely on my way to feeling pretty damn good. Most men keep a safe distance from me which is definitely a good decision on their part. I'm not in the mood to deal with any of them.

The bar maintains a steady flow of patrons but stays relatively slow considering the attached restaurant is near bursting at the seams with people waiting for their special dinner reservations.

I just return from the bathroom when I notice an older gentleman sitting in the seat next to mine. There's no one else near that area of the bar I'm seated in, so it has to be purely coincidental that he's sitting in the seat next to mine. I sidled up to the bar, and order another martini to keep me from looking over at my new neighbor.

The bartender brings me my drink and also sets down a high ball glass with amber colored liquid in it. I finally glance to my left and noticed he is an extremely attractive older man. Gray strands shine through his auburn locks and his face holds a five o'clock shadow. He can't be older than early to mid forties, but either way, he looks damn good for his age.

His shoulders are broad, and the suit he's wearing fits him like a glove.

I'm actually quite surprised that I'm so attracted to him. I usually don't go for someone that much older than me, but maybe that's the problem. Maybe what I really need is an older man who isn't immature and knows what he's doing.

He picks up his glass and takes a generous drink before clinking the glass back on the bar and turning to meet my gaze.

"Can I help you with something?"

His voice catches me off guard, and I'm surprised that the feeling that it provokes in me is the same one I get after my first drink after a long, hard day.

"Excuse me?"

"You looked like you wanted to say something just a minute ago when you were looking at me. I just asked if there was something I could help you with."

At the moment, there is a whole lot of things that I'm thinking he could help me with, but I'm definitely not going to be sharing that with him

"Ah… no. Sorry."

"What's a beautiful, young woman like yourself doing alone on Valentine's Day?"

I belt out a laugh, probably sounding like a complete idiot.

My face starts to heat up, and I feel a little embarrassed at my outburst.

"Me? I don't have a Valentine. In fact, I think the person who was supposed to be my Valentine is now somewhere screwing my boss. So, to answer your question, I'm sitting here with every intention of getting completely shit faced before I go home."

He quietly laughs and shakes his head, looking at the drink in his hand.

"Is that all? Well then, do you mind if I sit here with you and do the same?"

"By all means, be my guest."

We sit quietly through two drinks, and by then I'm definitely feeling the effects. I'm actually starting to worry that I'm going to need to leave soon.

Searching through my hand bag for my compact, he breaks the silence.

"My wife of twenty years decided a couple of months ago that she likes woman. Can you believe that? We have twin boys getting ready to leave for college in the fall and she felt now was the time to drop that bombshell on me. Twenty… years… I have done absolutely everything possible for my family and this is how my life is turning out."

I look over to him and see the anguish marring his features.

"What's your name?" I ask quietly.

"Edward."

"Well, Edward, I'm Bella, and I have a proposition for you. I think I am well and sufficiently drunk enough that if you turn me down then I won't take it too personally. I'm thinking that you need to finish that drink in your hand and follow me to the lobby of the hotel next door. We're going to check into a room, and I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't remember your name or that you're with a complete stranger on Valentine's Day."

I slam back the last of my martini, number I can't remember, pick up my hand bag, and shimmy off my stool. I start to walk away, but I don't hear his bar stool against the floor.

My shoulders sag a little in disappointment, because honestly, he was hot and now I'm horny.

A strong hand catches my hip and I feel a warm body pull me close. I can't hide the smile that crosses my face, and I don't want to. I normally wouldn't do something so irresponsible, but since I felt at least some of the same pain as Edward, I deserve this, we deserve this.

He opens the door for me and leads me to the front desk.

"We'd like a suite for the evening, please."

I look up at him and wonder whether or not he misunderstood the room comment. I thought I'd hinted that I was now jobless.

He reaches back and takes out his wallet, and out comes a black Amex. I don't know whether to be insulted or turned on because I feel like he's trying to impress me, but what he doesn't know is that I was already impressed, had been since the moment I first saw him. It isn't often that you find a man his age that looks that good. His wife was a fucking moron.

The woman at the counter is checking Edward out, and I suddenly feel him bring me closer to his side. She hands him the key card, and immediately he turns before she can thank us for our business.

We enter the elevator and there's this sexually charged atmosphere that I feel like I'm drowning in. I don't think I've ever been this excited to sleep with someone… ever.

"Why'd you pay? This wasn't your idea. I didn't expect you to pay, much less get us a suite."

"If I want to spoil my Valentine's date then that's my prerogative. I want to be able to fuck you against every available surface I can touch. Your standard room seriously limits what I want to do to you."

He says it so off handedly that I do a double take, wondering if what I heard was really what I heard.

He laughs. "You think you can tell me you're going to 'fuck me hard' and then not expect me to start thinking about what that could entail… hmmm?"

Before my flustered brain can come up with a response, he has me pressed against the wall of the elevator, and I can't think, at all. Between the alcohol I've consumed and the scent of his cologne, my libido is off the charts. I have a pretty significant buzz going but I'm not sure if that's what I feel against my body or not.

"Is that your phone?"

"Shit. Yes, but I'm not getting it. No. Not this time. I'm taking this for me and everything else can wait."

The door dings open, and he takes my hand in his again, pulling me along behind him. There seem to be very few doors on this floor and I offhandedly wonder why.

We stop abruptly, and I run into the back of him. I can't see over his should because he so much taller than me, but I can feel the air change when the door to our room opens and he tugs me inside.

I look at the room around me and it looks like an upscale apartment. Edward swings me around, and I slam into his chest. I look up at him; he is so devastatingly handsome, I can't help but swoon a little.

"Is this just sex or am I aloud to kiss you?"

"Kiss me."

His mouth descends on mine. He tastes like liquor and maybe a twinge of cigarette smoke, and man, yeah a lot of man, real man. He is an expert at kissing, and I just want to drown in him.

His hands slide down my back to my ass and he pulls me closer. Nothing could fit between our bodies.

He's quite tall, and his shoulders are broad, and I am gripping them like my life depends on him.

The world tilts on its axis as I realize he's scooped me up in his arms and is carrying me towards the rather large bed that sits at the back of the room.

He sets me down on the bed and immediately starts to undress.

"No, let me do that."

I rise up on my knees and am still shorter than he is even though I'm elevated on this bed. I slide his suit jacket off his shoulders and feel his delicious muscles tense as I run my hands down his arms. The muscles feel good against my fingers, and I suddenly can't stand that there are so many clothes between us.

I make quick work of his buttons with his help, nearly popping some in the process. His chest is defined with a fine sprinkling of dark chest hair and I am just that much more turned on. I have never been one for body hair, but this is a man, and he definitely looks like a man.

His hands are tugging at my shirt while mine are busy working on his pants. We both fumble trying to undress the other and it causes us both to laugh.

He is absolutely glorious naked, and I am so ready for him that I could scream. With a feral glint in his eye, he launches forward, covering me completely and pressing me down into the mattress. The feel of his body against mine is like nothing I've ever experienced. Every other man I've ever been with treats me like I'm fragile and can't handle their weight. It feels like he's grounding me to this earth while my head's still in the clouds.

"Condom?"

"No, I'm good, unless you want."

He groans, grabbing both my legs and hitching them over his hips. I can feel him pressing against me and the anticipation is killing me.

In one smooth motion, he is inside me, and I literally am choking on my own tongue. He is so much larger than any other man I've ever been with… ever.

His movements are slow and measured, at first, and the only sound you can hear is both of our breathing.

In and out, over and over, at such a slow pace it is literally driving me crazy because I just want him to fuck me into oblivion.

"More… god… just… ungh…"

"You want more of this," he says, suddenly slamming swiftly into me. The force of his thrust pushes me towards the headboard, and I am so lost in the feelings he is evoking from me that I can't seem to even concentrate on where to put my hands.

Now, he's slamming over and over, and I may just die from the sensation. It feels so good that I can't focus on anything other than him inside of me. I am briefly aware that his mouth moves against mine, and then down my neck, but his hands have moved away and I think it's so he can get a little leverage with his thrusts.

"I'm going to flip you over now, baby. Hold on tight."

I'm now on all fours, scrambling to reach for the head board in front of me when he finds his way back into me. He's relentless now, holding onto my tits and sucking my neck as he fucks me. I want to cry now, because my drunken brain realizes that this is the greatest sexual experience of my life and it's with a relative stranger. I may regret this in the morning, because damn, I may just get a little attached to this feeling.

He hits so deep inside that I cry out, clawing, trying to hold on to my impending orgasm. I'm getting the dark spots and white wiggles on the outskirts of my vision and… bam…dark.

I wake up the next morning completely naked but under the covers. The bed feels so good against my skin, but my head feels like I've been whacked with a lead pipe. I shift a little, and my hips and pussy ache and I wonder how much fun I had last night. I remember most of the evening up until the most intense orgasm known to man.

I feel a large warm hand wrap around my stomach and pull me close. I'm amazed that he still smells good even after the night we've had. I don't turn around yet because I just want to revel in being in someone's arms again.

"So, how would you say your Valentine's Day turned out?"

Edward sounds a little unsure, and I don't like it. This man should never feel insecure. He is absolutely amazing.

"It was incredible, Edward. Thank you for restoring my faith in men," I say with a smirk.

"It was my pleasure."

I really want to find out how old he is, but I am too afraid to ask.

"Bella?"

"Yeah."

"How old are you?"

His question catches me off guard because it is exactly what I wanted to know about him.

"I just turned twenty-three. You?"

He hesitates before he answers.

"I'm forty-six."

"Edward, does that bother you? Because it doesn't bother me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really."

He is quiet for a few minutes and then asks, "What would you say to spending the day with me? I don't think I'm quite ready for my time with you to be over.

"Yeah… I'd like that. What'd you have in mind?"

"A little bit of everything, but definitely more of this," he says as he throws the covers over our heads, blocking out the light and shutting out the world, restarting starting something I wasn't ever sure I wanted to finish.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to my beta, Breath-of-twilight, for checking for errors. This was only going to be a one shot, but I couldn't believe the response it got. Ttharman, this is for you, bebe . I can't promise how often I can get chapters out and, most likely, they will be fairly short. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephanie Meyer is a goddess and she owns everything. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 2**

Around six o'clock I'm ready to chew my arm off I'm so hungry. Edward's in the shower, cleaning up after the marathon sex we just had, and I'm still laying here in a haze of the sexual healing I just received.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with Edward, and if I'm and completely and totally honest, I want to keep him locked in my apartment so I can have me some of that at my leisure. He's the most confident, caring lover I _have_ ever had the pleasure of being with.

Plus, even at his age, since he's twice my age, he has more stamina that any shit bag twenty-something I've been with.

My stomach growls and I can't possibly put off getting up any longer. I head to the corner I threw all my clothes in and start to slowly get myself dressed. My muscles ache from overuse and the fact that they haven't been in some of those positions for quite some time.

"Trying to run out on me?"

I whirl around, nearly falling on my ass in the process. Edward's standing there in only a towel, and I can't seem to force my tongue to form the words to tell him otherwise. When I finally do, the only thing I can think of to say is something about food.

"I need to eat. I think you used up every energy reserve I possess."

Edward laughed loudly. It seemed strangely out of character for him.

"Well, we certainly don't want that. Would you mind having dinner with me? I understand if you don't, I just thought…"

"I'd love to," I blurted out. I know that he's a little insecure with the age difference, but I could give a shit less. He's the most intriguing man I've ever met, and I don't think I'm actually all that ready to say good bye in any capacity.

"Well then, let me get some clothes back on and we can get out of here."

I finish getting ready, but not before I've snuck in a couple peeks at his naked figure. For forty-six his body has aged well. His chest hairs are flecked with gray, but for the most part there isn't a part on his body that would suggest his age. His chest is strong, muscular, but still lean. His strong, muscled legs flex as he puts on his pants, and I can't help but clench my thighs together hoping to quell some of the lust that I feel for this man.

"Did you want to take a shower before we leave," he asks over his shoulder.

I think about it for a second, and then smell my arm pits. Besides the fact that I have just spent last night and the majority of today in bed having wild sex, I smell pretty good. That could be attributed to the fact that I smell just like Edward does. That's another thing I'm not quite ready to let go of either.

"No, I'm good. I'd rather just go eat." I wonder if he secretly thinks I'm gross for not showering but rid my head of those thoughts quickly. I shouldn't care what he thinks, because just last night I was ready to swear off men altogether.

We leave the room, and I immediately feel the loss of the comfort zone we've had around us in the room.

I wonder if he's uncomfortable being seen with me.

We ride the elevator to the lobby and make our way to the adjacent steak house.

We get seated right away and the hostess tells us our server will be right with us. We sit silently and I wonder what he's thinking and if he regrets being with me last night. I can't believe that I've not even spent a full twenty-four hours with him and I'm already an insecure mess.

"Bella, what are you thinking right now? "

His question catches me off guard, and I'm about to answer when the waitress brings us our water and waits to take our order.

Edward orders the filet mignon, and I order the baked chicken. I don't see the sense in ordering like most girls. If I'm hungry I want food, like_ real_ food. None of that bird food shit. I have nothing to be ashamed about. I keep my figure svelte, and I take care of myself, so why not indulge occasionally.

The waitress leaves us alone again, and I realize I haven't answered his question. At this point, I am totally focused on how handsome he is and how much I want him, like right now.

"I was actually thinking about how much I miss that room upstairs already." I smile shyly at him, and the hint of smile that graces his face is insanely gorgeous.

I'm not going to lie; I can't believe his wife left him for another woman. The bitch must be off her rocker to have left him. Eh, her loss is my gain, so who am I to complain.

"Well, Bella, I have to agree with you there. That room is sounding quite nice, but let's feed you first."

I giggle and nearly choke from the girlish sound that just came from me. Not only was I ready to swear off men, but this girl doesn't giggle for anyone. Well, anyone except Edward, apparently.

I look at Edward as I'm about to make another comment that will be directly towards the haven upstairs when his face completely pales.

"Edward, are you alright?"

He doesn't answer me, and I start to feel a little panicky. A man walks up to my left and stops. When I turn to look up at him, my breath catches in my throat.

There, standing right next to me, is the carbon copy of the man sitting in front of me, down to the well tailored, expensive suit.

His eyes are trained on Edward, and then suddenly they cut to me.

"Well, hello there, Father. Aren't you going to introduce me?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to my beta, Breath-of-twilight, for checking for errors as always. I would have had this sooner, but I was on vacation. Sorry, I am really trying to be good about updating this for you guys. I also didn't get to do my review replies because of vacation, too. Just want all of you to know that I read everyone and appreciate them soooo very much. If I can, I will definitely try to get to them this chapter. Promise next one to be sooner.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephanie Meyer is a goddess and she owns everything. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 3**

To say that I was shocked would have been _the_ understatement of the century. Where the Edward I had just spent the night with, screwing each other's brains out, was ruggedly handsome, the younger version next to me was young and gorgeous.

I looked between the two, confused, until the light bulb went off in my head. I seem to recall the conversation we had when we were still at the bar. I think he said something about have twin sons who were going into college.

The man next to me definitely looks older than a high school senior, but I've always been horrible at gauging age. Plus, the both of them stood well over six feet tall and had lean muscular frames.

"Bella, I'd like for you to meet my son, Masen. Masen, this is Bella."

This has to be the most awkward day after moment in history. I am not embarrassed, but I can tell that Edward is a little uncomfortable with the situation, and I think it is wearing off on me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella. What are you doing here with this old man," he questions.

Edward's face falls, and I can tell that he is getting angry with his son. I wonder where Masen got his smart mouth from.

"Masen, I think that's enough."

"No, Dad, what's going on here? Does Mom know where you are?"

Edward looks crestfallen.

"Mase, the divorce is final. I'm an adult, and I'm allowed to have dinner with the opposite sex."

Masen is giving his dad what can only be described as the stink eye.

"Do you want to join us?" I don't know why I say it. I can't believe those words actually spew from my mouth.

Both men look at me. Edward looks appalled, Masen looks disgusted; and I am at a complete loss for words when the unthinkable happens… another one walks up and looks just like the other two.

_Holy shit!_

Not one.

Not two.

Three.

Count them on my little fingers, one, two, three. Three ridiculously handsome me who all look damn near identical are surrounding me, and I start to feel like I may just pass out from lack of oxygen.

Edward is looking at me, and I'm not sure if he's pissed or mortified.

"Dad, what's going on?" the other one says.

"That's what I was wondering," Masen says, eyebrow raised and glancing between me and his dad.

"EJ, what are you doing here?"

"We came to meet with Coach. Don't you remember me telling you about it last week?"

Edward sighs heavily, and I can see the weight of the world on his shoulders. I feel extremely bad for him under these circumstances and am at a loss for what to do. I enjoyed last night more than I could have ever imagined possible, but if this is going to be a huge discomfort for both of us then I have to wonder if it is worth it.

Edward looks up at me with a strange expression, and I wonder what he was thinking.

"I wanted to be there with you when you met with him. I'm sorry, it totally slipped my mind."

"I can go, Edward. Really, if…"

"No, Bella, just…"

"Dad, who's this?" EJ interrupts.

"This is, Bella. Bella, EJ." EJ reaches towards me, taking my hand in his and politely shaking it. He clearly is the mellower of the two brothers, and I wonder if he takes after his dad.

"Bella, it's a pleasure to meet you. How do you know our dad?" he asks innocently enough.

I must have had a deer in the headlights look about me because Edward hurries to answer for me.

"Bella's a friend of mine."

"Yeah, cause you usually keep extremely beautiful, _young_ woman as friends," Masen says sarcastically.

I have to bite my tongue to not tell this little shit exactly how acquainted I am with their dad.

I turn back towards Edward and decide right then that I will make this a little easier on all of us.

"You know, Edward, I think I'll just go ahead and get my food to go so you can go to that meeting with your sons."

He starts to argue with me, but I cut him off again.

"No, really, next time."

I stand up and promptly go to find the wait staff that helped us earlier.

This situation is so uncomfortable, and, up until this point, there had been no drama at all. I am really starting to like spending time with my new friend, but I certainly don't want to cause him trouble. I refuse to be _that_ girl, the one that comes between families because she's the other _woman._ I have a feeling that the twins are fiercely loyal to their muff lovin' mother. How do you even compete with that?

Do I want to compete with that? I haven't even given that much thought because it isn't like I really even know Edward all that well. Maybe, if given the chance, I'd like to have gotten to know him.

I catch the server just in time to send them back to box up my meal and pay for it before I make my way back to the table.

Edward is sitting together with his boys flanking him at the table. They're so good looking and look as though they're posing for an advertisement or something, while clearly engrossed in their conversation. The boys resemble Edward so much that there would never be a question as to who their father is. When I walk up, they all looked to me. EJ smiles, Edward looks a little sorry, and Masen leers at me; and I feel sorely unwelcome.

"Well, it looks like that's all taken care of. It was really nice to meet the two of you. Edward, thank you for everything. I've had so much fun."

"Ma'am, here's your food." I turn and take my to-go container from him, and then turn back to Edward.

I smile at him and nod, leaving before I make the situation any worse. I made it all the way out to the street, mourning the loss of last night and wicked bummed out that I hadn't even gotten a good good-bye.

"Bella, wait."

I stop and turn around, and there he is. I can't help the surge of happiness that swells inside of me knowing that he came after me.

"I don't think I'm ready to let you just walk away. See, I had more fun, passion, excitement, hell, more of everything with you last night than I've had in years. Can I call you? That is, if you still even want to be seen with me after meeting my offspring."

I laugh. I can't help myself; I'm just so happy he is asking.

"Of course, I'd love to see you again, too."

He smiles, and that simple act makes him absolutely shine. He hands me his phone, and I program my number in and call my phone so I have his number, too.

"Can I call you soon, then?"

"Of course. You can call me anytime."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to my beta, Breath-of-twilight, for checking for errors as always. Been wicked sick with the plants and trees having sex isn't helping ;) Definitely trying to get this updated as soon as I can, so don't flounce on me yet. Thank you to all of you who read this. Not much is going to happen in this chapter, but there is a little something in there for those of you can find it. It's going to make an interesting turn of events later on.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephanie Meyer is a goddess and she owns everything. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 4**

I walk into my studio apartment and drop into the first chair I come to. I have so much on my mind after last night and I can't seem to get Edward out of the majority of it.

Yesterday, I was ready to swear off men completely, pissed that I was doomed to be an old maid at such a young age.

I am totally exhausted, ready to shower and climb in bed. Part of me doesn't want to wash away the scent of Edward on my clothes, but the more dominant part just wants to relax and eat my cold dinner.

My studio is so quiet and I am feeling a little lonely. I plug my iPod into the docking station and turn up the volume on the speakers so loud that I may get complaints from my neighbors.

I walk into my bathroom, and soon I am surrounded by steam and the vanilla scent of my bath soap. My muscles ache, and I can't believe how crazy the sex was that I had last night. Crazy, hot sex with a much older man, just thinking about him makes my skin warm.

I've never been with someone that made my body feel quite the way that he made me feel. I am just getting lost thinking about how I can't wait to see him again when I hear my phone ring in the other room. Not like my apartment is that big, but it definitely takes me a minute to get out of the shower to answer it.

"Where the hell have you been, bitch? I've been trying to get a hold of you since I left you in that bar."

Shit… Alice

"I'm so sorry, Alice. My battery died in my phone and I forgot to charge it until this morning," I say as I cringe. I hate blatantly lying, especially to Alice. She's been with me since high school, when I was a shy little wall flower.

I don't know why I don't want to tell Alice about Edward. I'm not ashamed of our age difference, that's not it. I'm really afraid that if I don't keep this little secret for myself that I'll somehow jinx it; whatever "it" is.

"Well, if that's all. I've actually been pretty concerned about you. I just kept thinking of you by yourself, and lonely, on the happy couple's holiday. Did you meet anyone interesting last night?"

"Umm, yeah, I guess. Just a couple other singles having a drink. Nothing special."

"Bella…you sure?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"No reason. You just sound funny, like you're guilty of something. I don't know. I've known you for so long, Bella. I just want you to be happy."

"You don't need to worry about me, Alice. I'll be okay, promise. How was your evening?"

"It was so wonderful. Jasper really outdid himself this time. He's been learning to cook, Bella; can you believe it? When I left you last night and headed home, I totally thought he was going to take me out. As soon as I walked in the door, he had the whole apartment decorated and the table set. I was so shocked."

"That's great Alice. Really, that is so sweet of him to do. God, most men wouldn't even think of doing something like that for their significant other."

"I know, right? But checking on you wasn't the only reason I called. I got a call today from the Denali group this morning. They were calling to see if I was available to decorate a new house that one of the owner's is buying. They want the house completed in a little over a month, and there's no possible way that I can do it without any help. I was wondering if you'd be willing to come and work with me for the time being until you found another job?"

Shit, that's right, I got fired. I totally forgot.

"That sounds great, Alice. When do we start?" I'd taken a couple of design courses during college with Alice, and so over the years I would help her in a pinch.

"Tomorrow. Is that okay? I know it's soon, but they really want this done. I didn't get all the specifics, but the owner's girlfriend is finally moving in with her and she wants them to start their lives out fresh. Irina Denali has given me a really detailed list of what they want so I think we can get this done before the deadline."

"Okay, where should I meet you?"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow on my way out to the house. We can go over in the car any of the other pertinent information you'll need. Thank you so much, Bella, for doing this. Work's out for both of us, doesn't it?"

"Sounds like it. I'm actually happy to come and work with you for a little bit. Advertising is fun, but until I find a place that I really want to be, I'm glad I'm going to get to spend some time with my best friend."

"Ah, me too, honey. See you tomorrow, bye."

"Bye."

I just hit end on my call when the phone starts to buzz in my hand again.

"Hello."

"Bella?"

"Yes, this is."

"It's Edward."

"Edward, how are you? Miss me already? It's only been two hours since I last saw you," I giggle.

"I know, but I felt like our time was cut shorter than if we hadn't run into my sons. I was looking forward to spending a little bit more time with you."

I feel the same way. There is just something about him. He is confident and kind and so not what I would have thought a man of his age would have been. He so easily could have been cocky.

"I agree. What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing, actually. I went to the dinner meeting with the boys and checked out of our room, and now I'm finding myself quite lonely."

"Well, we can't have that. What would you say to coming over here?"

"I'd love to, just tell me where."


End file.
